Tell Me a Riddle Lesson Plan

What is a convalescent home? Why was Emily sent there? How did her time in the home affect Emily?

A convalescent (a vocabulary word) is one who is recovering from an illness or treatment. As such, a convalescent home is a place where one goes for short-term help to recover from an illness, injury, or operation. Nowadays it would be similar to an inpatient rehab facility. In the early 1900s, convalescent homes were also popular as a way to offer care for the needy - the narrator states that young society women would hold fundraisers and events to help collect donations for them.

When Susan was born, Emily came down with a bad case of red measles. Even after she...